"Charlie" wrote:


"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
.. .

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Man-- the differences between Brown Trout and salmon are pretty
subtle. I can see how he might be fooled-- but I'm with you- no
excuse. Pay up buddy.

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fish...browntrout.htm

In the field, with just one fish- I think I'd have to go with the
poorly arranged teeth on the roof of the mouth of the Brown. Now-- If
I just caught the biggest fish of my life, was fishing for Brown's-
and caught what I thought *was* one, would I think to check his dental
work? Probably not.

Jim

If this fish was so important to the state it should have had a visible tag
that alerted the unwary.

It wasn't *the fish*. It is the species. Atlantic salmon are catch
& release in VT. [or were when this was caught anyway.] The
burden is on the fisherman to properly identify a species.

When I was a kid I wasn't sure of a surefire way to tell a big Rock
Bass [an unprotected species] from a smaller Largemouth Bass. [had to
be 12" long] So I tossed any of those questionable ones back unless
they were 12" & Bass season was open.

The introduction of an 'outfitter' is what bothers me in that account.
The outfitter apparently saw the fish and knew the guy was keeping it-
very publicly, BTW.

I have caught tagged fish that were ok to keep but asked for a report about
size and whereabouts.

That would have been the easy thing for the state to do-- and maybe
they would have learned even more about the fish in the process. But
it doesn't excuse the fisherman for keeping a protected species.

Jim